TwinBee (character)
is the titular character and main protagonist of the TwinBee series. He is an anthropomorphic and sentient blue aircraft with a single canopy. He was created by a scientist called Dr. Cinnamon, and it is this brilliant man's grandson, Light, its current pilot. TwinBee is WinBee's twin brother and GwinBee's older brother. TwinBee is present in every game of the series and has also made recurring appearances in many other Konami games, whether it is as a cameo or a fully playable character, including the Parodius and Wai Wai series, to name a few. TwinBee also appeared in pop'n music 17: THE MOVIE as a cameo character and Bombergirl as model figure. In his first localized game in North America, he was renamed Stinger, but has since recovered his original name in following installments. He is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka. __TOC__ Background and history TwinBee is a piloted aircraft fighter that originally appeared in the 1985 video game TwinBee as the main ship controlled by the player. Since then, he has maintained this role in all sequels. TwinBee is always accompanied by a similar pink ship called WinBee, which is controlled by the second player and which has the ability to join with TwinBee to perform combined attacks. In recent games, a third green ship called GwinBee also joins them. The game's story begins in 2801. TwinBee and WinBee are two airships built by Dr. Cinnamon, an genius inventor who created them to defend Donburi Island from invading villains. He also assigned his two own sons, Annamon and Donnamon, as pilots. In the first games, the appearance of the "Bee" ships resembled that of a rocket with a rounded front and two large arms with glove-type fists which allow them to execute various attacks. In the video game Detana!! TwinBee from 1991, a renewal in the aesthetics and history of the series took place and which remains until today. The "Bee" ships are no longer simple vehicles, but are also intelligent autonomous robots. Here, the appearance of TwinBee changed a lot, and his original design, which looked like a rocket, now resembles a sphere with cuffs and turbines on the back. In addition, he acquired large feet to walk and fight on land and a small mouth that allows him to speak. Since this new game, he was assigned his definitive pilot, called Light, who is none other than Dr. Cinnamon's grandson. Another new skill given to TwinBee is the ability to reduce to ⅛ of its original size, so that when he's not fighting he can stay close to his pilot like a pet. In the various anime based on the TwinBee series, it can be seen that this character is a robot capable of speaking fluently and with a friendly, energetic and childish personality. He can talk to his pilot as if they were friends and he can switch from air mode to land mode very easily. In addition to the TwinBee series, this character has appeared in both Wai Wai World games as a controllable aircraft in the shoot 'em up style levels and has also made appearances and cameos in many other installments of the Wai Wai series. He has also played an important role in the Parodius series, where he's often one of the selectable characters and where he appears as an independent, sentient ship without a pilot. Appearance TwinBee is a blue jet mecha with arms and legs, and wears white gloves and blue sneakers. He has yellow turbines and windscreen. Weapons and abilities TwinBee is a fast combat aircraft that is distinguished by having two arms with large fists that allow it to execute different attacks. In classic games, TwinBee is destroyed with a direct impact, although in later games a life bar was added that allows him to withstand several attacks and even recover health. Main attacks These are TwinBee's common attacks; their availability changes according to the game. *'Normal shot': TwinBee fires bullets forward. *'Charge power': TwinBee accumulates power and releases it in a powerful special shot. *'Bomb': He throws bombs with his arms to destroy the enemies on the ground. In many games, the arms are destroyed if they are damaged by the enemy and TwinBee loses this attack. *'Bomber': TwinBee can accumulate the power of the bomb and then release a set of bombs that cause a large explosion on the ground. *'Fist bump': TwinBee can also attack by hitting with his fist forward. Even though this attack has a very short range, it's extremely powerful and can stop smaller projectiles. *'Chibi Blaster': TwinBee's ultimate weapon; sends an army of "mini-TwinBees" that flutter everywhere and kill all enemies onscreen. It has limited use. *'Combined shot': When TwinBee and WinBee come together and take each other's arms, they can make a more powerful combined shot than normal. If they join horizontally they attack with a ray of waves, while if they join vertically they perform a multiple shot that disperses toward the front. *'GwinBee Power-Up': In some games, the GwinBee ship is an item that allows combined attacks when joining TwinBee. *'Throw mate': TwinBee can grab WinBee with his arms and throw her like a projectile that bounces across the screen and defeats enemies that get in her way. The thrown ship becomes invulnerable during this attack. Bell powers TwinBee can get improvements in his arsenal when bell items appear and the player shoots them until they change color. Each bell color gives a different power that varies according to the game. These powers are: *'Speed Up': Makes TwinBee faster. *'Double shot': Changes the normal shot to a double shot. *'Cannon shot': Changes the normal shot to a large shot. *'Laser': Changes the normal shot to a laser shot. *'3-Way': Changes the normal shot for a special attack that disperses projectiles in three different directions to the front. *'Option': Activates a "mini-TwinBee" assistant that follows the player and attacks with the normal shot. These are invulnerable, but are destroyed if TwinBee takes damage. You can activate up to four "Options" at the same time. In some games, you can also choose their behavior. *'Barrier': A force field that surrounds the ship and protects it from all kinds of enemy attacks. It is destroyed after receiving several hits. Attacks in land mode In its robot form, TwinBee is a small spherical android that can walk and fight on the ground without the need of a pilot. *'Acceleration': When running, TwinBee becomes faster and faster and can use this impulse to attack with a sweep. *'Jump': TwinBee performs a jump that serves as an attack to crush enemies. *'Fist blow': Attacks the enemy with his fists. *'Special hit': Accumulates power in his fists and shoots a ball of energy. *'Turbo propeller': TwinBee accumulates power in his turbines and launches himself at great speed. This ability serves to make huge leaps to the sky and also as an attack to run over and destroy enemies, and to break rocks. His thrusters can be used to land slowly during a fall. *'Bellpower': By touching bell items, TwinBee can gain various powers, such as temporary invulnerability, a laser gun, Options, Barrier, Speed-Up and the powerful hammer. Power-ups in Parodius In the Parodius series, TwinBee uses a different power-up system, similar to those in the Gradius series. *'Speed Up': makes TwinBee faster. *'Rocket Punch': Shoots his boxing gloves like powerful rockets that go through and destroy enemies, and then return to his arms. *'Tailgun': Changes the normal shot for a double shot that attacks forward and backward. *'3-Way': Change the normal shot for a triple shot that attacks forward, diagonally-up and diagonally-down. *'Option': Activates a "mini-TwinBee" assistant that follows the player and replicates all of his shots. Up to three "Options" can be activated at the same time. *'Barrier': A spherical force field that surrounds the ship and protects it from minor attacks. It disintegrates after receiving several impacts. Pilots of TwinBee Appearances ''TwinBee'' series *''TwinBee'' (1985 - arcade, NES, MSX): First game of the entire series, where the hero fighter ships, TwinBee and his partner WinBee, were introduced for the first time. The story of this game takes place in 2801, where TwinBee has its very first battle to defend Donburi Island from an invasion by an army leaded by the evil King Spice. In this game, TwinBee is piloted by Annamon, and the ship itself looks like a rocket with fists. *''Moero TwinBee: Cinnamon-hakase o Sukue!'' (1986 - FDS, NES - known outside of Japan as Stinger): This game stars TwinBee, who is accompanied by WinBee and GwinBee. The game maintains the classic style and attacks from its predecessor, and also introduces side-view levels into the mixture. This game actually takes place a century after the original, where TwinBee has a new pilot called Squash, who is the great-grandson of Dr. Cinnamon. *''TwinBee 3: Poko Poko Daimaō'' (1990 - FC): TwinBee is the protagonist, along with WinBee. TwinBee maintains his classic attacks and can also now make use of a triple shot and a laser. The pilot is Squash again in this game, who must rescue the GwinBee pilot, who was captured by the evil Demon King Poko Poko. *''TwinBee Da!!'' (1990 - GB): A game very similar to the original, where the protagonist is TwinBee and, as always, the second player controls to WinBee. This game returns to the first generation of pilots, with Annamon piloting the ship to face the evil Dr. Nikki who seeks revenge for the previous defeat of his creation, King Spice. TwinBee maintains all of his classic attacks. *''Detana!! TwinBee'' (1991 - arcade, PC, PCE): Video game starring TwinBee, along with WinBee. This title presents an important aesthetic redesign of the ships, where TwinBee acquires his modern spherical appearance with hands and feet. This title also introduces the pilots of the second generation, where TwinBee is piloted by Light, who will remain as his definitive pilot for the rest of the series. TwinBee has his classic attacks and also gains the ability to charge up energy to execute more powerful shots. GwinBee also appears as an assistant that can join the player to execute combined attacks. It's also possible to perform a devastating attack that covers the entire screen if TwinBee, WinBee and GwinBee are joined. *''Pop'n TwinBee'' (1993 - SNES): Video game starring TwinBee, along with WinBee. The ship for the first time has a life bar that allows him to withstand several hits before being destroyed, and can also be reloaded with items. He also acquires the ability to perform short but powerful punches and to throw his partner as an extremely effective projectile. This game also eliminates the classic inconvenience of TwinBee losing his arms if they take damage. *''Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures'' (1994 - SNES): This is the first video game where the ships appear in their land mode. The game is a side platformer title where the player can choose to play either as TwinBee, WinBee or GwinBee. TwinBee now moves around by running and jumping throughout the level, has the ability to attack by punching and can also use his turbines to fire a powerful flame that can destroy enemies and rocks that block the path. *''TwinBee Taisen Puzzle-Dama'' (1994 - PS): Action puzzle game where TwinBee is one of several selectable characters. *''TwinBee Yahho!: Fushigi no Kuni de Ōabare!!'' (1995 - arcade, PS, Saturn): Video game starring TwinBee, accompanied by WinBee. In this game, instant weapons are added to the arsenal roster that are obtained as alternative items to be used in conjunction with the classic bells. Among these new weapons are the flamethrower, volcano firing, spread gun and super bombs. All classic attacks and bells have been maintained. *''TwinBee PARADISE in Donburi Shima'' (1998 - PC): Interactive game with several minigames and software utilities hosted by characters of the TwinBee series. *''TwinBee RPG'' (1998 - PS): A role-playing game where there's a new protagonist named after the player and who fights piloting TwinBee. Among TwinBee's special attacks are his hammer, a revolver and the powerful glowing bell attack. *''Konami Suzume: TwinBee Taisen-ban'' (2003 - mobile): Mahjong video game with the characters of TwinBee. *''TwinBee Dungeon'' (2004 - mobile): Roguelike video game where the protagonists are TwinBee and his pilot Light, and have the mission to explore dangerous dungeons. *''TwinBee'' (2007 - pachislot): Pachislot game based on the world of TwinBee Yahho! and starring TwinBee and his team fighting against Dr. Warumon and his new invention, the mecha Warumeka. *''LINE GoGo! TwinBee'' (2013 - iOS, Android): Video game starring the TwinBee ship. It is a simplified version of the classic shoot 'em up series, where the player is limited only to move TwinBee to the sides while shooting at enemies to increase their score and obtain power-ups. ''Parodius'' series The TwinBee ship frequently appears as one of the selectable characters throughout the games that conform the Parodius series. In these games, he is smaller in size and has no pilot, acting all on his own. *''Parodius Da!'' (1990 - arcade, SNES, PCE): TwinBee appears as one of the selectable characters. Its power-ups are based on the classic games from the TwinBee series, such as the triple shot and the barrier. A curiosity is that in this game, instead of his classic blue color, TwinBee is pink, so he looks much more like WinBee. *''Gokujō Parodius! ~Kako no Eikō o Motomete~'' (1994 - arcade, SNES): TwinBee is one of the selectable space fighters. If the second player starts the game, WinBee appears instead. In this game, he appears with his new Detana!! TwinBee redesign, with the difference that here he wears boxing gloves instead of his normal white cuffs. *''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' (1995 - SNES, Saturn, PS): TwinBee is one of the selectable space fighters. WinBee also appears as his partner. Other games *''Nemesis'' (1986 - MSX): If a TwinBee game cartridge is placed in the second slot, a trick becomes available that allows TwinBee to replace the Vic Viper and become the main ship. *''Konami Wai Wai World'' (1988 - FC, mobile): On the last level, the gameplay changes to a shoot 'em up where the the player can choose to pilot either the Vic Viper or TwinBee. The initial part takes place in Donburi Island, so the level more closely resembles the original TwinBee. *''Wai Wai World 2: SOS!! Parsley Castle'' (1991 - FC): The third level of this video game contains a very faithful recreation of the original TwinBee, where the player controls TwinBee and a second person can handle WinBee. It also includes a bonus phase in pseudo-3D with TwinBee seen from behind where the player has to get as many bells as possible. *''Tokimeki Memorial'' (1994 - PCE): Dating simulator that includes a minigame called "TwinBee Returns". This is a reduced version of the original TwinBee arcade game, where the player controls the blue ship and must defeat the enemy ships. *''Speed King NEO KOBE 2045'' (1996 - PS): A futuristic racing game where TwinBee can be unlocked as one of the competing vehicles. This is achieved after winning the third course's battle with a secret car. *''Tokimeki Memorial ~forever with you~'' (1997 - PS, Saturn): Dating simulator that includes a minigame called "TwinBee: TIME ATTACK", which is a shooting game that combines graphics and elements from Detana!! TwinBee and Pop'n TwinBee. The player controls the TwinBee ship. *''Airforce Delta Storm'' (2001 - Xbox): This game features a secret ship called "XQ/U-2Bee Fatty" whose design is inspired by TwinBee. *''DreamMix TV: World Fighters'' (2003 - GCN, PS2): TwinBee appears as one of the selectable Konami fighters. Here, he appears in his land mode, so he fights with fists and kicks and can also use his hammer. As a special skill, the player can use bells that, according to their color, grant different powers. * Airforce Delta Strike (2004 - PS2): This sequel also features the "TwinBee" secret fighter, although unlike the previous game, this version appropriately resembles the cartoonish, anthropomorphic character from the TwinBee series. *''Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero'' (2008 - NDS): TwinBee appears as one of the game's creatures. *''Nou Kaihatsu Kenkyujo Kuru Kuru Lab'' (2009 - arcade): A mental skill game where there's a minigame starring TwinBee. *''New LovePlus'' (2012 - 3DS): Dating simulator that includes a minigame called "TwinBee+", which is a reduced remake of the NES port of TwinBee. Like the original, it allows cooperative mode with TwinBee and WinBee as characters. *''Kingdom Dragonion'' (2015 - iOS, Android): Real-time strategy game where battles are executed with interchangeable cards. TwinBee appears as one of the monsters that the player can add to their card collection. His main attack consists in attacking by firing shots and the power of bells. *''Pixel Puzzle Collection'' (2018 - iOS, Android): TwinBee appears as a nonogram puzzle image. *''Professional Baseball Spirits A'' (2019 - iOS, Android) Cameos *''The Goonies'' (1986 - FC): TwinBee appears a secret item in the third level that awards 5,000 points. *''Hexion'' (1992 - arcade): TwinBee appears as a little mascot host in this game, along with Penta and Moai from the Gradius series. *''Violent Storm'' (1993 - arcade): One of the game's items is a little TwinBee doll that scurries along the floor and awards points on pick up. *''Daisu-Kiss'' (1996 - arcade) *''Mitsumete Knight R: Daibouken-hen'' (1998 - PS): When starting a New Game+, the background on the Print Station in the first town changes showing numerous Konami characters, including TwinBee. *''Bishi Bashi Special'' (1998 - PS): TwinBee appears in the minigame "Puck Attack" representing a disc. *''Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME'' (2002 - arcade, PS2): Musical game that contains the song "Twin Bee ~Generation X~" by the Konami Kukeiha Club. The video shows NES game images along with the TwinBee sprite. *''Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin'' (2006 - NDS): TwinBee appears as a secret collectible item that awards 5,000 points. *''Busou Shinki: Battle Rondo'' (2007 - PC): TwinBee and WinBee appear in the form of ray guns that can be equipped with the character. *''Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia'' (2008 - NDS): TwinBee appears as a secret collectible item. *''Otomedius Gorgeous'' (2008 - X360): TwinBee and WinBee briefly appear at the end of the game with the character Madoka. *''Quiz Magic Academy V'' (2008 - arcade): In this quiz video game, if you answer several answers consecutively in the "national conference" mode, TwinBee and a flying bell will appear. *''pop'n music 17: THE MOVIE'' (2009 - arcade): Musical game containing the theme "Twin Bee ~Generation X~" by the Konami Kukeiha Club. The character that appears during the theme in this game is TwinBee (this theme previously corresponded to Rupa). The character appears with his old sprite from the original arcade game and shows images of that game where you can also see WinBee. The theme and the character were kept in the next installments of the series. *''WarioWare D.I.Y.'' (2009 - NDS, Wii): TwinBee appears in one of the microgames. *''Tokimeki Memorial 4'' (2009 - PSP): TwinBee appears as an enemy in a minigame where he shoots how many have points. *''Castlevania: Harmony of Despair'' (2010 - PS3, X360): TwinBee appears as a collectible item in Chapter 9. *''Otomedius Excellent'' (2011 - X360): A miniature TwinBee appears as one of the assistant ships ("Options") of the character Madoka. *''Phantasy Star Online 2'' (2012 - PC): TwinBee appears as an artistic photo of Symbol Art. *''beatmania IIDX 25: CANNON BALLERS'' (2018 - arcade) *''Bombergirl'' (2019 - arcade) Appearances in other media Radio dramas Following the publication of Pop'n TwinBee for the Super Famicom, a serial radio drama version with the title TwinBee PARADISE was produced, which began its broadcast on the radio station NCB on October 10, 1993. The series lasted three seasons, with the third and final season ending on March 30, 1997, and comprising a total of 96 episodes, which would then be published in CD drama collections. TwinBee PARADISE incorporated the same cast previously introduced in both Detana!! TwinBee and Pop'n TwinBee. It also further developed and expanded TwinBee's fictional universe and many of the elements of the story presented in the radio dramas were canonized in later video games, such as TwinBee Yahho! and TwinBee RPG. Such was the case of TwinBee and WinBee's pilots, Light and Pastel, who in the games were originally unnamed. Anime *''Ganbare Goemon: Jigen Jō no Akumu'' (1991 - 1 episode OVA): While this anime is based on the Ganbare Goemon franchise, it also pays tribute to other Konami series. In one scene, Goemon enters the world of TwinBee and transforms into a pilot very similar to Light; he then climbs into the TwinBee ship and fights airborne enemies like in the video games. Here, TwinBee still has his old design and is a simple ship. * TwinBee: WinBee's ⅛ Panic (1994 - 1 episode OVA): Animated episode where TwinBee appears with his new design and shows many new abilities that would later be implemented in the video games, such as a hammer attack, land mode and the ability to shrink. Here, TwinBee speaks and has a life of his own. The character's voice was interpreted by Mayumi Tanaka, who would remain his official voice for the rest of the OVAs. *''Tulip Beach Stories'' (1998 - short): Short episode where the characters take a break day at the beach. TwinBee has a brief appearance since the story has no fighting and focuses on the pilots. *''TwinBee PARADISE'' (1999 - 3 episodes OVA): This anime series maintains the same style as the 1994 anime. The episodes focus on Light and Pastel, so TwinBee appears in a secondary role, similar to a pet that helps the characters when they get in trouble, although there still are a few fighting scenes. Manga *''TwinBee'' and Moero TwinBee: Cinnamon-hakase o Sukue!, published by CoroCoro Comic from 1985 to 1987. *Four Gamest supplements from 1993 (volumes 85, 89, 93 and 97) contained manga of Detana!! TwinBee drawn and written by Mine Yoshizaki. Between 1994 and 1996, an official manga, also by Yoshizaki, was published in three volumes in the collection Gamest Comics (numbers 11, 39 and 76). *''Rock'n Game Boy'' (1989-91 - manga) *''K-nami 4Koma Manga Wai Wai World'' (2017 - manga) TwinBee merchandise *TwinBee (keshi) *TwinBee (mini acrylic stand) *TwinBee (plastic model) Gallery Trivia *The name "TwinBee" is a combination of the two English words "twin" and "bee". This is because the original game starred two identical ships whose designs resembled that of a bee. In the North American localization of the game, the ship was renamed as "Stinger", alluding to this reference. * In the video game Kirby Super Star by Nintendo, there's an enemy called "Capsule J" which is remarkably similar to TwinBee and who even shares a similar color scheme. Apparently, Nintendo noticed this coincidence since in the remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra, the character was redesigned to eliminate the resemblance and was renamed as "Capsule J2". *The official Japanese Konami website uses TwinBee's classic sprite as favicon. *In the video game Parodius Da! for Game Boy, it is revealed in his profile that TwinBee is 17 years old in that game. See also *BaronBee *GwinBee *Light *NiseTwinBee *WinBee *ZakoBee References External links *TwinBee at Wikijuegos - Original version of this article (Spanish) Category:Airships Category:Androids Category:Male characters Category:Detana!! TwinBee characters Category:LINE GoGo! TwinBee characters Category:Moero TwinBee characters Category:Parodius series Category:Pixel Puzzle Collection characters Category:Pop'n TwinBee characters Category:Rainbow Bell Adventures characters Category:TwinBee (pachislot) characters Category:TwinBee characters Category:TwinBee 3 characters Category:TwinBee Da!! characters Category:TwinBee Dungeon characters Category:TwinBee PARADISE characters Category:TwinBee PARADISE in Donburi Shima characters Category:TwinBee RPG characters Category:TwinBee Taisen Puzzle-Dama characters Category:TwinBee Taisen-ban characters Category:TwinBee Yahho! characters Category:Wai Wai series